5 replies to this topic

[Breakpoint]

I'm gearing up to brew a big barley wine and RIS (~1.100). Each beer will be preceded by a smaller gravity (~1.048) beer, then the big beer will be pitched onto the yeast cake. Now, I want to make sure that it ferments out completely and I was reading somewhere (can't find it now) about repitching yeast that has blown off because that's the healthiest yeast. Well, has anyone done this? How have you done this? Do you put the blow off tube into a container with boiled & cooled water? Do you just pitch back the yeast into the beer after it appears that the beer has calmed down?Thanks for the info.

[DaBearSox]

hmm....well i think that theory is coming from harvesting yeast from the krasuen when it is fermenting. Basically scooping it off the top...I guess you could harvest it out of a blowoff tube if it went into something sanitary...most of the time though I am hoping the blowoff tube is only there for looks and not action.

[djinkc]

Blktre had an awesome thread with pics at the GB showing this. I don't know how happy he was with the harvested yeast though. Had it set up to have the blowoff go into other carboys to save it...........

[ChefLamont]

Scooping off the top is generally call top cropping. I have never done it but I know that others have done it with great success. I remember one time Mike (Tasty) McDole on the BN saying he top crops from one batch into the another and that the batch receiving the cropped yeast will often (or at least sometimes - I dont remember) finish fermentation before the original batch that the yeast was harvested from.There is a name for the vessel you capture it in...I want to say a Grant... but it is still early. But essentially capturing it from the blowoff should be essentially the same as top cropping. You just have to make sure you keep the capture vessel and the process sanitary.

[klickcue]

You can harvest yeast from a blowoff tube in the carboy. You need a tube that fits the carboy and seals up good. The tube end goes into a gallon jug or something with a small diameter opening that is sterilized or sanitized, your choose. Water or no water since bugs can't crawl.Your carboy for the fermenting beer needs to have a small head space. I.E. maybe a 5.5 gallon brew in a 6 gallon carboy.The downside is a butterscotch/buttery flavor since you lose some of your yeast that would be available to finish your beer. Google 'Burton on the Trent' I would ferment out the beer and save the yeast for a follow up brew to the next gravity. Blowoff or scooped yeast foam makes great starters and from plating, it appears to be a fine culture.No need to add it back to the beer that is fermenting if all that you are wanting to do is save it.

[Breakpoint]

Found it! So, my plan is to build something similar to this but with a few modifications.I'm just hoping to make sure my beers ferment out completely. I'm sure I'll have enough yeast, but in case I need more, I'll have it in my yeast collection vessel.Thanks for the input.